Avian Pathogenicity Genes and Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolates from Wild Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in British Columbia, Canada

We report avian pathogenic and antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli in wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) trapped at a commercial chicken hatchery in British Columbia, Canada, and provide evidence that rats can become colonized with, and possibly act as a source of, poultry pathogens present in their environment.